Notts 273-7 (Mullaney 72*, Franks 26*) after 86 overs in reply to Hampshire's 300

There was a healthy dose of déjà vu for Hampshire on another frustrating day in the LV=County Championship.

Hampshire managed to lose at Edgbaston last week after allowing Warwickshire to recover from 98-7 to 382 – despite a flurry of early wickets for Kabir Ali.

This time, Nottinghamshire recovered from an early collapse against Kabir on the second day of the Rose Bowl’s first Championship game of the season.

Once again, home debutant Kabir claimed three early scalps during an electrifying opening spell that saw Notts reduced to 33-4 in reply to Hampshire’s 300.

But by the close, Notts were 274-7 and edging towards a first-innings lead.

Hampshire hopes were high when Kabir dismissed Bilal Shafayat, Neil Edwards and Mark Wagh before finishing with 3 for 18 from an exciting eight-over spell.

An unplayable delivery that bounced and left Shafayat (2) before finding the outside edge got Kabir’s juices flowing in his first over.

Then an inswinger to the left-handed Neil Edwards (3) found the inside edge and ballooned off a knee roll to James Vince at point.

Edwards looked back in anger while returning to the pavilion. But there was no doubt about the legitimacy of Kabir’s next wicket, his third in 18 balls that cost only two runs.

He delighted those Hampshire fans watching him for the first time by spreadeagling two stumps when Mark Wagh (11) played a typically classical off drive – without getting bat on ball.

When Hashim Amla (5) was caught down the leg side seven overs later, it looked like Hampshire’s season was finally on the up.

The South African Test batsman went into this match on the back of Championship scores of 129, 58 and 64* but when he glanced Sean Ervine’s first delivery off his hips, Nic Pothas responded with an athletic left-handed catch.

Rangana Herath had an encouraging Championship debut, taking 2-44 in 26 overs from the Pavilion End.

But Kabir’s last 11 wicketless overs cost 49 runs and David Griffiths went for five an over.

Samit Patel (42) shared 69 for the fifth wicket with Ally Brown before slicing an attempted drive against Herath to Dominic Cork at mid-off in the third over after lunch.

The afternoon session continued to go well for Hampshire when Notts captain Chris Read (9) lost his off stump playing across the line against Cork.

But Hampshire struggled thereafter.

Veteran Brown, a match-winning centurion in the corresponding match last year, reached his first fifty of the season from only 72 balls.

And young Steven Mullaney dominated the pair’s 111-run stand in only his second Championship appearance.

Brown and Mullaney were only four runs short of Notts’ record seventh-wicket partnership against Hampshire, between between Ken Smales and Gamini Goonesena at Trent Bridge in 1954, when the former was finally dismissed.

Brown had been dropped by Chris Benham on 67 when he sliced Ervine to point in the third over after tea.

But Herath celebrated the dismissal of the 40-year-old with Imran Tahir-like enthusiasm when he finally went for 81 (144 balls, seven fours).

After advancing down the wicket, Brown tried to hit Herath over the top only for Cork to make a difficult catch look easy at mid-wicket.

But, like Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes, Mullaney continued to frustrate.

He reached his maiden Championship fifty from 78 balls and was still there at the close on 72 after adding a further 41 with Paul Franks (26*) before bad light lopped ten overs from the day.

Hampshire bowling: Kabir Ali 20-2-70-3, Cork 12.4-6-27-1, Ervine 13-0-48-1, Griffiths 14-1-70-0, Herath 26-6-44-2, Carberry 1-1-0-0